Surrogacy

For some women, carrying a baby through pregnancy is simply impossible. Using a surrogate – a woman who carries a child with the intention of giving that child to the commissioning parent or parents when the child is born – may be their only hope of having a child.

‘Gestational surrogacy’ is the only type of surrogacy that is legal in Victoria. This is when an embryo is transferred into the surrogate’s uterus. The embryo might be created using the commissioning parents’ egg and sperm, and/or donated egg and sperm. The surrogate has no genetic link to the child she carries.

You can commission a surrogate if you are unlikely to become pregnant, unlikely to be able to carry a child and give birth, or likely to place your own life or that of the baby at risk, if you were to become pregnant.

At Melbourne IVF, our guidelines for when a surrogacy might be appropriate include:

An absence of the uterus,

An anatomical abnormality of the uterus which would prevent you from safely carrying a pregnancy to term, or

Other medical conditions that could make pregnancy too risky for you or the baby.

You will have to find your own surrogate, and you cannot advertise to find one, or pay someone to be a surrogate. If you decide to go down this path, I can support and guide you through the process of finding a surrogate and making arrangements. I will make this process as smooth as it can be for you, so you can focus on the result – creating your family. Surrogacy is highly complex and there are important processes in place to make sure that you and the surrogate are well informed.

Melbourne IVF is also required by law to ensure that the Patient Review Panel approves the surrogacy arrangement.